Brian Robert Waterman, MD

Dr. Brian Waterman is board certified in orthopaedic surgery. He specializes in both sports medicine and shoulder/elbow surgery, with a focus on surgical and non-surgical procedures for shoulder, elbow and knee conditions. He provides knee joint preservation, athletic elbow care, care for athletic injuries and comprehensive shoulder care, including shoulder replacement, tendon transfer and open and arthroscopic surgery. He is skilled in reconstruction and open and arthroscopic management. Additionally, he provides pediatric and adolescent sports medicine care.

He is a professor at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine and in the Department of Orthopaedic Surgery at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He serves as chief and fellowship director of sports medicine.

Dr. Waterman’s research interests include military injuries, comprehensive shoulder care, arthroscopy, anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries, knee cartilage restorations, patellofemoral disorders and care of the overhead throwing athlete. He has received the Researcher of the Year Award at William Beaumont Army Medical Center (WBAMC) on multiple occasions, and he has been recognized among the top 1% of Research All-Stars nationally by Avant Garde Health.

As a 13-year military veteran, he earned multiple honors during his service, including the Meritorious Service Medal and Army Commendation Medal. He completed a combat deployment with the 28th Combat Support Hospital to Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

His publications include more than 300 peer-reviewed research manuscripts and 20 book chapters. He has previously served as an associate editor of the Arthroscopy Journal and on the editorial board of the Video Journal of Sports Medicine, the American Journal of Orthopaedics and the Journal of Cartilage & Joint Preservation. His other committee appointments include the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgery (AAOS), the Society of Military Orthopaedic Surgeons (SOMOS), the Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA), the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) and the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA).

Currently, Dr. Waterman serves as the team physician for Wake Forest University Athletics, the Winston-Salem Dash and other athletic organizations. Previously, he was the team physician for the Chicago Bulls, the Chicago White Sox, and Chicago Fire (MLS).

He received his medical degree at Eastern Virginia Medical School. He completed residency in orthopaedic surgery through the U.S. Army at the combined program of William Beaumont Army Medical Center and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. Dr. Waterman then completed a fellowship in sports medicine at Rush University Medical Center and was selected for the American Orthopaedic Association (AOA) North American Traveling Fellowship, the Arthroscopy Association of North America (AANA) Advanced Arthroscopy Traveling Fellowship and the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine (AOSSM)-ESSKA Traveling Fellowship.

Outside of work, he enjoys spending quality time traveling and hiking with his wife, Sarah, a historical fiction author. As a former intercollegiate soccer athlete, he is enthusiastic about all things sports and fitness related.